Friday, 26 August 2016

Stakeholders in Zambia’s
Copperbelt Province have called for the criminalization of child marriages to
protect school-going children from early marriages.

According to World Vision International, Zambia has one of the highest child marriage rates in the world with 42% of women aged 20-24 years married by the age of 18.

During a
provincial experts meeting in Kitwe on Monday,
Kitwe District Commissioner Chanda Kabwe
called for the country to come up with stringent laws
which would punish parents who marry off their
school-going children.

Mr Chanda said
it was sad that children were being married off at an early age and most of
them were dropping out of school and becoming parents.

“Some parents,
when they see their girl children, they see wealth. We need to start arresting
and jailing such irresponsible people so that the girl child can finish school
and seize all the opportunities the world has in store for them,” said Mr Kabwe
who heads local government departments in the mining town of Kitwe.

He regretted
that Zambia has few women in positions of decision making and child marriages
were making the situation even worse as girls who were intelligent in school
are having their education cut short by early marriages.

And Chileshe Soteli, the
Chiefs Affairs Officer in Lufwanyama District called for the punishment of
under age children who abandon school and insist on marrying.

Ms Soteli, who narrated how
she has over the years dealt with numerous cases of juveniles who opt for early
marriage, said there was need for the minors to be punished as a deterrent to
would be child brides and child grooms.

Chanda Kabwe

“I come from a rural district
where child marriages are common. We plead with these children to stick to
school but they insist on marrying. I think we need a law which will prescribe
a form of punishment for such children because the situation is getting out of
hand,” said Ms Soteli.

And gender activist Sharon
Chisanga says most school going children are forced into early
marriage because of their parents’ failure to raise money to sustain their
lives.

Ms
Chisanga, who is also Provincial Coordinator for the Young Women Christian
Association, told the meeting that there was need for society to curb this vice
because it is depriving the nation of
potential female leaders.

“Parents
are also to blame for this problem. When young girls sleep in cabins, they feel
uncomfortable and they hope to get married and sleep in better homes,” she
said.

Cabins
are small houses which were built as temporal houses for single miners on the
Copperbelt but over the decades, they have been transformed into family houses
despite their small size.

The
provincial stakeholders meeting on early marriages was organised by the Law
Development Commission to find suggestions from stakeholders on whether to
criminalise early marriages due to the escalating cases across the country.

The
commission decided to start its countrywide tour and collection of views in the
Copperbelt Province because according to the Central Statistical Office, the
copper-rich region has the second highest cases of child marriages among the 10
provinces of Zambia.

“Zambia
has two sources of law for marriage. Under statutory law, a person can marry at
21 years and we have no problem with that. But under customary law, a person
can be married at any age as long as they reach puberty. This is where we have
a problem and early marriages are increasing under customary law,” said Gilbert
Mwanza, a lawyer and research officer at the Law Development Commission.

Mr
Mwanza, who is leading the countrywide collection of the views, is among
officer who are expected to draft a bill to criminalise child marriages and harmonise
the marriage age.

The
Law Development Commission is a statutory body under Zambia’s Ministry of
Justice.

The
commission is mandate is to continuously research on laws and propose bills to
parliament.

Sunday, 21 August 2016

She is the only female Member of Parliament among the 22 lawmakers on the Copperbelt.Newly elected Patriotic Front Kalulushi
Member of Parliament Kampamba Mulenga has fought her way to Manda Hill.She was among several female parliamentary candidates on the Copperbelt who were adopted by various political parties to contest the August 11 parliamentary elections.However, all her friends lost and she pulled through alone.Her victory is good news for gender activists but the fact that she is the only female MP in the second largest province in terms of registered voters, is a source of worry to people who follow women politics closely.Between 2011 and 2016, the Copperbelt had four elected female Members of Parliament in Kabushi (Ndola), Chifubu (Ndola) Chililabombwe and Lufwanyama.Back to Kampamba, her election has proved that being consistent in politics can also take one to the national stage.

At a personal level, she is a mother of three who still does household chores like any other mother.When this blogger met her for an interview, the Kalulushi MP was busy in the kitchen preparing food for her family.
Her rise to national prominence is out of hardwork."I was first elected party District Treasurer. Later i was elected the first District Chairperson for the Patriotic Front in 2011. At that time, it was difficult to win such a position as a woman and we were still in opposition," said Kampamba.She says her hard work in the party led to late President Michael Sata recognising her and making her part of his government.

"President Sata later appointed me District Commissioner for Kalulushi."

It is this civil service position which helped position Kampamba well with the people of Kalulushi, a town which has one constituency.

In that role, Kampamba was one of the few female District Commissioners on the Copperbelt.

And even after leaving the office a few years ago, she went back to politics and stealthily prepared for the adoptions ahead of the 2016 parliamentary elections.

As usual, she was pitted against men within the ruling party but she prevailed.

During the actual elections, she beat all the five men who stood against her.

Now that she has been elected, she has a few words for women on the Copperbelt.

Rashida (left) and Kampamba celebrating their victory

"I will work hard and inspire more women to stand as MPs in 2021. We need more women to take up leadership positions. And for the people of Kalulushi, i want to assure them that i will not disapoint them, i will work towards my campaign promises and develop our constituency," she said.

As she embarks on her five year tour of
duty at Manda Hill, the hopes of people in Kalulushi is that she will carry on
the mantle and deliver where men could have failed to deliver.Kampamba is not the only woman elected in Kalulushi.A number of coucillors are female and the new Mayor of Kalulushi Rashida Mulenga is also female.Despite sharing the same surname, Rashida and Kampamba are not related.Their own relation is the quest to develop Kalulushi.

Friday, 19 August 2016

Zambia has
failed to pass several progressive human rights amendments to its constitution following
the failure by voters to reach the 50% threshold needed to approve the
amendments in a referendum.

On Thursday
last week, Zambia went to the polls in a general election which was also tied
to a referendum on the bill of rights which had progressive laws.

Due to the
attention given to the presidential election, the counting and announcing of
referendum votes was halted and postponed to today to allow for the
presidential results to be announced first.

According to
Zambia’s Referendum Act, the country needs at least 50% of its citizens above
18 years to vote in a referendum.

Further,
half of those who show up at the polling stations must vote YES for the
referendum to succeed.

However,
today, the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) announced that last week’s
referendum failed to reach the threshold.

ECZ
Chairperson Esau Chulu disclosed that only 44.4% of the eligible voters turn
out and the referendum failed by 5.6%.

According to
the Central Statistical Office, Zambia has an estimated total of 7,528,091
people above the age of 18 and this means that for the referendum to go
through, 3,764,046 should have voted.

However, according
to Justice Chulu, only 3,345,047 showed up and of those, only 1,852,549 voted
YES for the referendum.

The ECZ and
some civil society organisations ran sensitisation campaigns urging people to
come out and vote in the referendum.

The ruling
Patriotic Front campaigned for a YES vote while the opposition UPND and other
parties campaigned for a NO vote.

Despite the
general election recording a 56.4% turn out, the referendum recorded a 44.4%.

After voting
for President, Member of Parliament, Mayor and Councillor, some voters did not
proceed to the referendum booth to also vote in the referendum despite both
processes being held in the same polling stations.

The Referendum Question On the ballot Paper

Some of the
progressive laws which were provided for in the bill of rights were a provision
of 19 years as the marriage age, banning of abortion, providing access to
information, freedom of the media, social, economic, cultural and political
rights and fair trial.

Since the
announcement of the referendum results, some Copperbelt-based civil society
organisations have told this blogger of their disappointment.

“We are disappointed
that the referendum has failed. We had hope that if the bill of rights was
passed, we were going to be granted access to information which we have been
championing for years. We also hoped that the public media would be given
freedom. But this now means we get back to our drawing boards and start pushing
parliament to enact the access to information bill,” said Andrew Sakala, President
of the Press Association of Zambia.

Since 2002,
the Zambian media has been involved ina back and forth game with governments for
the access to information law to be taken back to parliament for enactment.

Not much
progress has been made in realising this dream as successful governments have
been failing to take back the bill to the floor of the house since its
withdrawal from the standing orders 14 years ago.

For those
involved in governance issues, the failure of the referendum means a major
setback to their countrywide advocacy activities in the past three months.

“We are very
disappointed by this development. We blame opposition parties who politicised
this process. They campaigned against the referendum and now the people of
Zambia have been denied their social, economic and cultural rights. This should
be a lesson to Zambians and they should know that some parties don’t mean well,”
said Gerard Mutelo, President of the Kitwe-based Democratic Governance and
Human Rights Advocates.

For some
governance activists, the failure by Zambian voters to pass the bill of rights
has hurt them hard.

“We are disappointed
and annoyed. We spent a lot of money in sensitising the masses. What have the
opposition parties gained in this…… People are not celebrating this development….
What have they achieved?” said an angry looking Poster Jumbe, the Copperbelt Province
Coordinator of the Anti-Voter Apathy Project, a youth-led organisation which
champions the involvement of young people in public affairs.

Some of the advocacy material for referendum

Among other
provisions, the bill of rights called suggested 19 years to be made the
marriage age in light of the conflict between customary and statutory laws
which recognise marriage at different ages.

“It is very disappointing
that the bill of rights has not been passed. We hoped that if it passed, it
would have raised the marriage age to 19 and helped stop early marriages which
are rampant in Zambia,” said Sharon Chisanga, the Copperbelt Province
Coordinator for the Young Women Christian Association.

Ms Chisanga
coordinates several programs aimed at discouraging early marriages which are
common on the Copperbelt Province which has the second highest rate among
Zambia’s 10 provinces.

If passed,
the bill of rights would have also outlawed the detention of pregnant women.

Currently,
pregnant women can be jailed and several women are incarcerated and raise their
children in prison.

The bill had
also provided for quick trials to avoid the common practice of suspects
spending months and possibly years before their cases are disposed off by the
courts of law.

With Zambia's conservative society, the country added a clause which defined marriage as union between two people of opposite sex.

This clause was clearly stated to avoid any chances of same sex marriages in a country which is constitutionally recognised as a christian nation even though it also respects other faiths.

Before Thursday’s
referendum, the last time Zambia had such a vote was in 1969.

Monday, 15 August 2016

President Edgar Lungu has been re-elected to a full
five year term after beating his closest rival Hakainde Hichilema of the UPND
by 100,530 votes.

This year’s presidential election was held under the
majoritarian system which needed a winning presidential candidate to get above
fifty percent of the votes.According to Zambia's elections body, the incumbent won by 50.03% thereby avoiding a run off.

This electoral system was part of several reforms made
to the electoral process following the enactment of the amended constitution in
January this year.

President Lungu, who was first elected last year to complete
his predecessor Michael Sata’s five year term, managed to beat off a strong
challenge by Mr Hichilema who he also beat last year by 27,000 votes.

In this year’s final tally announced by Electoral
Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Chairperson Esau Chulu this afternoon, the 60 year
old head of state polled 1,860,877 while the 54 year old opposition leader got
1,760,347 votes.

Mr Lungu, who sold himself as a deliverer of
development and a candidate who will promote unity and prosperity, took command of
the vote from the early stages of the count and ended the the four day tallying process as
the victor.

The Thursday poll was contested by nine candidates,
seven of whom polled meagre votes which were even lower than the total number
of rejected votes countrywide.

Thousands of Zambians in towns across the country have
comes out on the streets to celebrate the victory.

Dressed in their green and white party regalia, the PF
supporters walked to their respective towns' central business districts and
danced to party songs.

Those riding in vehicles honked throughout as they
played loud music through public address systems mounted on top of their vehicles.

In Lusaka, hundreds of supporters marched to State
House where President Lungu addressed them.

The President-elect told them that he was surprised at
what he termed as tribal voting in some parts of the country.

He added that ruling party members should forget about
the differences they have with their opposition colleagues and work to unite
the nation.

Meanwhile, former United Nations Secretary General
Kofi Anan has congratulated Zambians on the conduct of the just ended elections.

“I congratulate the citizens of Zambia for their impressive
voter turnout on 11 August and for the peaceful and orderly election day, made
possible by the diligent work of the election officials, party agents and monitors. In this tense and competitive climate it is
essential that the security forces respect the constitution and remain
impartial and professional in the discharge of their duties," said Mr Anan
in a statement.

President Lungu addressing his supporters at State House

And
in a joint press briefing held on Friday to issue their interim statements,
international election observers described Thursday’s general elections as free
and fair despite some cases of political violence recorded during the campaigns.

Some
of the international observers who monitored the polls where SADC, African
Union, the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa, the
Commonwealth, the Carter Center and the European Union.

Yesterday,
the opposition UPND briefly withdrew from the National Election Results Center
in Lusaka and stopped verifying the election results citing lack of cooperation
from the ECZ.

UPND lawyer and Monze Central MP-elect Jack Mwiimbu
told the media that the party had presented several complaints to the elections
body but none of them had been acted on.

But the party later rescinded its decision and
attended the verification of the remaining results until today.

And in an interview with Muvi Television, Mr Hichilema
has disclosed that the opposition party will challenge the election results in
the recently operationalised Constitution Court.

PRESIDENT LUNGU'S PROFILE

Below is a profile of President Lungu written by Kasuba Mulenga and published by
the Zambia
Daily Mail on 29 January 2015:

His humble beginnings from
House No. 4001 in Kitwe’s Chimwemwe township are perhaps what have shaped his
belief that humility with firmness and decisiveness can take anyone
anywhere.

A stint as a
trained military officer at what was then called Miltez in Kabwe has
conceivably further molded his unpretentiousness up to the time of entering the
political arena.

And it is possibly the rare mix of law and military discipline that
nippily set the man in Edgar Chagwa Lungu on a political path that has now seen
him elected Zambia’s sixth President in a poll contested by 10 other
politicians.

According to ‘Meet Edgar C. Lungu’, a publication by Inzy Media, those
who knew him in his university days as a tall easy going bloke say he was
always out for action and innovation, including thinking outside the box.

This probably explains why the lawyer in Mr Lungu, while at Miltez,
underwent grueling physical and mental training with such personalities as
Zambia’s Deputy Ambassador to the United States Joe Chilaizya and other
distinguished military officers who are now generals in the Zambia Army.

WHO IS EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU?

An officer, lawyer, gentleman and politician who was born on November
11, 1956 at Ndola Central Hospital on the Copperbelt, he is married to Esther
with whom he has six children.

President Lungu at his inauguration in January 2015

Mr Lungu did his high school at Mukuba Secondary School before enrolling
at the University of Zambia where he studied law and graduated as one of the
best law students on October 17, 1981.

He went to the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE) and
in 1983 bagged his legal practicing certificate at the first crack.

It is worthwhile to state that Mr Lungu only completed his ZIALE course
in 1983 because he had some work stints as a lawyer at the Ministry of Justice,
Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) and Barclays Bank Zambia Limited, among
others, before he eventually obtained a law practicing certificate.

Many lawyers have to sit for a law practice certificate examination a
dozen times before they get the certificate because it is not a walk-over
assessment.

Mr Lungu is an accomplished lawyer who worked for Andre Masiye and
Company in Lusaka before he felt that the court room was not big enough to
change people’s lives.

He briefly joined the United Party for National Development and
later bid farewell and went to the then little known PF. In 2001, he stood as
Chawama member of Parliament but lost.

He remained in the PF Central Committee
and in 2011, contested the Chawama seat and won, this time around.

It is Mr Lungu whom late President Michael Sata in some recorded ‘Let
the People Talk’ dialogues on Radio Phoenix was often quoted as saying, “thank
you to one of my lawyers, Edgar Lungu, and all well-wishers…”

And maybe there is a natural dynamic that often links lawyers to
politics that gelled Mr Lungu to the current career path just as studies in
other parts of the world show regarding the relationship between lawyers and
politicians.

Studies show that in many democracies like Zambia, it is often lawyers
who inundate the political platform.

This is largely due to the fact that the
law deals with the same sort of interrogations and predicaments as politics
constantly does.

Lawyers like Mr Lungu often have to deal with what makes a ‘just
society’; the balance between liberty and security.

Another study linking lawyers like President Lungu to power says legal
practitioners make natural leaders because of their “obsession process and a
tendency to see things hugely in none partisan terms- ‘us or them’ and ‘guilty
or not guilty’- but nonetheless always in the spirit of loyalty to a cause that
is rare in other professions.

It is perhaps the lawyer in Mr Lungu that saw him stop a sizzling soccer
political ordeal when the Football Association of Zambia chided the TP Mazembe
trio of Rainford Kalaba, Nathan Sinkala and Stopila Sunzu last year an
immigration row that seemingly went out of hand.

The players’ passports had apparently been withheld by the Immigration
Department because they had left the country without immigration clearance.

But as Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Lungu ordered the release of the
players’ travel documents.

“Just a couple of months ago, these boys united the country and put
Zambia on the world map as a great footballing nation. Yet today, someone wants
to treat them like criminals…I don’t think it’s right. Give them back their
passports, these boys are heroes,” Mr Lungu directed.

As a man with a heart for the helpless, Mr Lungu assisted 30 families of
the April 1993 Gabon air disaster victims to recover K16 million (then K16
billion) as compensation from government for the loss of their loved ones.

President Lungu inspecting a guard of honour

The case dragged in court for about 11 years until Mr Lungu and fellow
lawyer Sakwiba Sikota used their own resources to represent the bereaved
families so that they could be compensated.

One-time profiler of President Lungu, Mr Anthony Mukwita, the former
Zambia Daily Mail managing director, described the Head of State as “a man of
deep rooted intellect, justice and above all sense of loyalty to friends and
family.”

He said Zambians backed the right candidate in the January 20
presidential election.

THE RISE OF MR LUNGU

It is common knowledge that Mr Lungu started off at the back of the line
in September 2011 after President Sata made history by unseating a serving
government.

Within a year under what some analysts have called the fastest rise in
office, Mr Sata appointed Mr Lungu as minister of Home Affairs, at a seemingly
crucial time when the PF was experiencing intra-party spats.

In less than a year, President Sata again made Mr Lungu minister of
Defence, in charge of the armed forces, protecting the territorial sovereignty
of the country.

Despite these tasks, Mr Lungu continued his daily routine of going home
from the office and later retreating to his constituency, Chawama, where he did
everything ranging from settling marital disputes to personal differences among
constituents when he was not spearheading construction of road projects, health
posts or police post.

One day, a few days before Christmas, a journalist called Mr Lungu and
asked him to describe the year 2013 politically.

“A day in a politician’s life is too long…I cannot completely sum up
2013 today before the year ends because we don’t just know, as politicians,
what happens the next day.”

When making this statement, Mr Lungu had no slightest idea that he would
be minister of defence the following day.

“It is a remarkable honour for me. I feel humbled by the magnitude of
the responsibility bestowed upon me to serve the people of Zambia…I am equal to
the task,” he said in accepting President Sata’s appointment.

In what seemed the quest to test his leadership potentials, President
Sata asked Mr Lungu to stand in for him while he would be away in China to meet
that country’s new leader Xi Jinping, a feat that was made repeatedly in a
clear show of confidence in Mr Lungu.

Later, Mr Lungu was given additional responsibilities when he became
minister of Justice and PF secretary general on top of his defence ministerial
position.

Perhaps, it was this weighty load of tasks piled on him which made the
general PF membership, and particularly Members of the Central Committee, to
believe he could be heir to President Sata when news of the demise of Mr Sata
in a London hospital reached government on October 28, 2014.

As is normally the case in political circles, just like in homes, intra
PF tiffs took centre stage in the run-up-to the election of the ruling party
leader, and eventually candidate in the January 20 presidential poll.

But at the end of the day, the die was cast, and Mr Lungu contested the
race for presidency of the country in which he emerged victor.

Late President Sata greets his would-be successor

“Fifty-eight years ago, I was born Edgar Chagwa Lungu at Ndola Central
Hospital and grew up in Kitwe’s Chimwemwe township.

“As I stand before you today, as the sixth President of the Great
Republic of Zambia, I am overwhelmed with gratitude, and I feel greatly humbled
that you have decided to make me your servant – you are my masters, I am your
servant,” Mr Lungu said in his inaugural speech amid deafening ovations by the
people at the momentous ceremony held at National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka last
Sunday.

In an apparent show of commitment to delivering service to the people,
Mr Lungu has already started working, and has so far appointed some members of
his Cabinet and State House staff.

Perhaps what is most intriguing about the happenings since he assumed office
is the selection of former minister of Gender and Child Development Inonge Wina
as the first ever Zambia’s female Vice-President.

This action has earned President Lungu continued approbations from the
breadth and length of the country.

Wednesday, 10 August 2016

Campaigns have come to an end in Zambia
and voters are tomorrow expected to vote for their President, Members of
Parliament, Mayors, Council Chairmen and Councillors.

Also on the ballot is the referendum which seeks to approve or disapprove the amendment to the Bill of Rights.

Tomorrow, a total of 6, 698, 372 voters
are expected to vote at thousands of polling stations across the country's 10
provinces.

Voting commences at polling stations starting in the morning at 06:00hrs and close at 18:00hrs in the evening after which counting commences.

About a dozen local and
foreign election missions and organisations have deployed thousands of their
monitors across the country.

Since the campaign period opened on May
16 this year, various political parties and candidates have traversed the
country to canvass for votes.

Eight candidates are challenging
President Edgar Lungu who is seeking a full five year term of his own after
serving 19 months of the remainder of his predecessor Michael Sata who died in
October 2014.

According to the Electoral Commission
of Zambia, 651 candidates are battling for the 156 seats in Parliament, 331
candidates are contesting as Mayors and Council Chairpersons while those who
are aspiring as Councillors countrywide are 4566.

On the eve of the elections, various
stakeholders have issued statements to call for peace during the elections.

Others have reflected on the past three
months that have seen a hive of activities across the country.

The Southern African Center for the
Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD), a governance civil society
organization, has called for a peaceful poll.

“The high levels of intolerance and
political violence demonstrated during the campaign period which ends today
indicates a high level of disregard for the citizenry and the ideals of
democracy. Zambians now have an opportunity to peacefully work in solidarity
and show perpetrators of political violence and intolerance that they will not
to be intimidated to exercise their right to vote. We are therefore urging the
citizens of this country to go and peacefully cast their votes in large numbers
tomorrow 11th August, 2016,” said SACCORD Executive Director
Boniface Cheembe in his election eve statement.

The Foundation for Democratic Process
(FODEP), another governance organization, has called on the ECZ to handle the
elections in a transparent manner.

“We further wish to appeal to the ECZ
to ensure timeliness and utmost transparency in the opening of polling stations
and handling of voting materials to avoid acts of violence. This is an
extremely important election being watched by the international community and
it is imperative that electoral officials are professional in their work to
inspire public confidence in the electoral process and ensure acceptance of the
results,” says FODEP Executive Director Chimfwembe Mwenge in a statement issued
today.

For the Zambia Conference of Catholic
Bishops (ZCCB), their concern is the use of youths as tools of violence during
elections.

In their pre-election statement
released today, the Bishops have challenged youths to be architects of a better
Zambia.

“..........we hereby challenge the
youths to be architects of a better Zambia by being agents of peace and
reconciliation. We therefore appeal to you to “refuse to be used as mere tools
of violence by unscrupulous politicians. In conclusion we again extend our
earnest appeal to all Zambians to realise that voting is one of their
fundamental rights and duties. It is also a Christian duty. We thus pray that
all citizens enter the August 11 general elections with a spirit of honesty,
avoiding bribes and cheating. We also pray that all voters, political party
leaders and their cadres may have at heart, the needed passion and commitment
to build for peace and avoid all forms of violence,” reads parts of the
statement issued by ZCCB President Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu.

ECZ Chairperson Esau Chulu has today
announced that the commission is expected to announce the final results within
48 hours of the close of polling tomorrow.

Tuesday, 9 August 2016

With two days
before Zambians vote in a general election and a referendum, the Electoral
Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has unveiled the Election Results Center which will
be based at the Mulungushi International Conference Center in Lusaka.

The center,
which is heavily guarded due to the usual tension that characterises polls, is
accessible to all participating political parties, the media and election observers.

After the close
of polling on Thursday evening, focus will shift from the polling stations to
the Election Results Center where ECZ Chairperson Esau Chulu will be announcing
periodic results as they trickle in from the 156 constituencies.

Justice Chulu
is expected to be announcing results for the presidential and referendum.

This is because
results for the Members of Parliament, Mayor, Council Chairmen and Councillors
will be announced in the respective constituencies and districts.

Meanwhile,
President Lungu has today met some of the international observers who are in
the country to monitor the polls.

According to a
statement issued by Presidential Press Aide Amos Chanda, President Lungu met former
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan who is leading the African Union Observer
Mission, former Mauritian President Cassam Uteem who is leading the Electoral
Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa and former Italian Minister of
Integration Cecile Kyenge who is leading the European Union Observer Mission.

Mr Chanda has
stated that the three, together with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s
Special Envoy on Political Dialogue Ibrahim Gambari met the head of state at
State House this morning.

“His Excellency
Goodluck Jonathan expressed full confidence that the elections which will be
held this Thursday on 11th August, 2016 will be free and fair and
that Zambia will maintain its highly reputable brand as a viable democracy. Mr.
Jonathan urged all political parties taking part in the elections to accept the
outcome,” said Mr Chanda.

An aerial view of the Election Results Center

“The Head of
State also held an open and frank conversation with EU observers led by Hon.
Kyenge. The President assured EU observers that the opposition were free to
campaign anywhere they wanted, and that access to the media was a matter for
independent media boards and editorial teams.”

Meanwhile, the
Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) has urged Zambians to turn out enmass
and vote for their preferred candidates on Thursday.

In its pre-election
statement, FODEP has urged all stakeholders to accept the results of the
election and embrace peace after the results are announced.

The local
organisation has deployed 5,090 monitors in 98 of the 156 constituencies to monitor the Thursday
polls.

Saturday, 6 August 2016

Former Mauritius President Cassam Uteem is again leading a
team of election observers from the Electoral Institute for Sustainable
Democracy in Africa (EISA) to Zambia for next week's general elections and referendum.

Mr Uteem, who led the island nation of Mauritius from 1992 to 2002, also led the EISA election observers to Zambia's January 2015
elections which ushered into office President Edgar Lungu following the death
of his predecessor Michael Sata in October 2014.

In a statement, EISA Deputy Chief of Mission Denis Kadima says
the team is in Zambia to conduct an independent assessment of the electoral
process and contribute to its peaceful and transparent conduct through their
findings and recommendations.

“The Mission will base its assessment on the standards and
obligations stipulated in the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and
Governance; the Principles for Election Management, Monitoring and Observation;
and the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, ” read part of the statement.

The 13 man team will be deployed in Lusaka, Ndola,
Livingstone and Mongu.

The team includes 10 short term observers from election
management bodies and civil society organisations from across the continent.

EISA is not new to Zambia.

It has monitored elections since 2000.

According to the statement, in 2000 EISA supported the Electoral
Commission of Zambia to establish its conflict management panels and develop
civic and voter education materials.

It also deployed observer missions to the 2006, 2008, 2011
and 2015 elections.

EISA joins other international organisations like the
African Union, SADC, the Commonwealth and the European Union who have already
deployed their observers on the ground.

On Thursday next week, Zambia goes to the polls to elect a
President, 156 Members of Parliament, Mayors, Council Chairmen and
Councillors.

Voters will also be voting in a referendum to either adopt or reject amendments to the Bill of
Rights.

According to the revised voters register, Zambia has six
million voters.

Nine Presidential candidates are in the race including the
incumbent Edgar Lungu.

Thursday, 4 August 2016

Today, he
entered the Regency Ballroom at the Omni Shoreham Hotel like a rock star.

If one of
the ancient writers of the Bible was present at the event, he or she would have
said: “President Barack Obama made a triumphant entry into the ballroom.”

“Yes We Can!
Yes We Can! Yes We Can!”

Those are
the chants President Obama was welcomed with when he walked into the ballroom
to address the 1,000 Mandela Washington Fellows who had just completed their
six weeks training at various universities across the United States.

Just when
the American President reached the podium and thought the Mandela fellows would
stop the chants, they unanimously changed strategy and sang the happy birthday
song to wish the first African-American President his 55th birthday.

This blogger was also carried away with the excitemen.

He even forgot to get notes when President Obama read the first few paragraphs.

Of course it was his first time to see the American President but it is typical of journalists to also be carried away, kaili mutola nkani naeve ni muntu (Even a journalist is human).

He held a town hall with the fellows whose number was this year doubled from the initial 500 in 2014 and 2015.

The 1,000 fellows came from 49 African countries and studied at universities in four different tracks: Business and Enterpreneurship, Civic Engagement, Public Management and Energy.

As is common
for him, just his first few words caused a lot of excitements and standing
ovations by the fellows.

Later, President
Obama gave a wide ranging speech from issues such as corruption to women’s
rights, development and US-Africa relations.

The 44th
US President spoke for about 30 minutes and then devoted over an hour to a
question and answer session which saw fellows asking him questions on various
issues.

He also
recognised three youths for their hardwork in various areas such as governance,
human rights and entrepreneurship.

President
Obama also described John Paul Usman as a dedicated youth who will earned
himself the title of Mandela Washington fellow and will continue having it even
in death.

Usman drowned
in June a few days after arriving in Virginia for the six weeks training under
the Mandela Washington Fellowship.

Trade

President
Obama said he was working hard to ensure that the volume of trade across the
Atlantic grows every year.

“We are
working hard to boost trade with Africa. I’m just from signing an executive
order which will encourage more American companies to invest in Africa. This
year am also hosting the second US-Africa Business Forum,” said President
Obama.

President Obama addressing the Mandela fellows

He said when
trade increases between the US and Africa, more jobs will be created.

Youths

Possibly the
most important part of his speech was a line were he pledged to ensure the Mandela
Washington Fellowship continues to bring young African leaders to the USA beyond
his retirement.

“I will
continue with the YALI (Young African Leaders Initiative) program even after I leave
office next year because I believe in it.”

He also
disclosed that over 250,000 youths across sub-Sahara Africa had so far joined
the YALI online Network where they are organising grassroot activities.

President
Obama added that over 150,000 certificates had been issued to youths who had
completed online courses on various issues.

Democracy

Answering a
question from a Congolese fellow who asked him to personally sort out the
on-going conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, President Obama said
there was need for Africa to make a different and not blame the past.

“We should
not always blame the past for what we are going through. It is now our time to
make a difference. If people in the past messed up, our current generation must
make a difference and make democracy thrive.”

He however conceded
that democracy was not only a problem in the developing world but even in the
oldest democracies.

He said
democracy was hard even in the US but all players in the country were committed
to its tenets.

On His Two Terms In The
White House

President
Obama spent more time to talk about his two terms in office which come to an end
on January 20, 2017.

Fellows raising hands to ask questions

“The financial
crisis of 2007 to 2008 was the biggest challenge. It hit us just when I entered
office. But we worked hard and averted the worst of the crisis,” he said in
response to a question posed by Charles Tembo of Zambia on Facebook.

The ongoing
conflicts in Syria and South Sudan also pose a challenge to his presidency.

He said these
wars are a source of his daily frustration.

Media

President Obama
called for a free press in Africa adding that the media promotes transparency
and accountability to those in public offices.

He said in
America, the media always probes in order for the public service to serve the
people efficiently.

President
Obama said most leaders who fight the media are those who overstay in office or
those who have something to hide.

“In my two
terms, I have also had a fair share with the media. Sometimes I read newspapers
and think ‘no they are being unfair to me.’ But sometimes I see what they
report and I smile.”

He however
accepted that American TV networks always reported Africa with stereotypes
saying Africa appears only when there is war, poverty or disease.

President
Obama has encouraged African journalists and every African to take the lead in
telling the African success story.

His Advise To Young
Politicians

When asked
by Folanski Aina of Nigeria what his words were to aspiring politicians, President
Obama said anyone who thinks of going to politics must first check himself or
herself.

“If you want
to join politics, first ask yourself a question: ‘What do you want to do for
people?’ Can’t you do that even without being elected? It is not only with an office
that you can serve people.”

He said his
ascendancy to the national scene was not easy.

President
Obama disclosed that when he was a Senator in Illinois, he ran for US Congress
but lost and when he tried for the second time, he told his wife Michelle that
when he loses he will leave politics but he ended up winning.

Some of the Zambian fellows during the Town Hall

He revealed
that when then Democratic presumptive nominee John Kerry chose him to speak at
the party’s National Convention in 2004, he did not know that the speech would
earn propel him to stardom and help him get nomination for the presidency four
years later.

“John Kerry
accidentally picked me to speak at the convention in 2004. The following day, I
was all over in the media and a crowd of hundreds stood outside waiting to
greet me.

I walked
towards them with a friend of mine and I told them ‘I’m not more smarter than I
was yesterday.”

His Legacy

President
Obama said he wants to be remembered for having been a good parent who brought
up his children well.

“I don’t want
to be remembered for having given that powerful speech at some conference or
things like that….. One day when I will be on my deathbed, I will be happy to
remember how I held the hand of one of my daughters and walked her in a park.”

Follow by Email

Search This Blog

Translate this blog

Total Pageviews

Follow Me Twitter

Find Us on Facebook

About The Author

Paul Shalala is a Kitwe-based reporter for the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, the country's national broadcaster which runs two TV channels and three radio channels. He was recently elected as Secretary (Northern Region) 2016 - 2018 term for the Zambia Union of Broadcasters and other Information Disseminators. On The Zambian Analyst, he blogs about politics, elections, governance and other issues of national and international interest. He previously worked for MUVI Television, New Vision Newspaper and freelanced for The London Evening Post. He has been trained in various specialised journalism courses in Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. He was awarded the 2016 Mandela Washington Fellowship and studied Public Management at Syracuse University in New York. He has so far reported from Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and North America. Paul has a number of local and international media awards to his credit. Paul is also the the founder and Managing Director for PAMOS Media Consultancy (www.pamosmedia.com) a company which is training 100 Zambian journalists in budget tracking and investigative journalism skills funded by the US Government